Most guys and gals that grew up surfing or hanging around the beach as kids will know what a handboard is. You probably used trays, Frisbee's ,flipflops or whatever you could to get the little more lift, that little more speed down the line. All in the name of having as much fun as possible in a session. You all know what I'm talking about, in fact if you are anything like me bodysurfing and Handboarding is probably the first introduction to a life long passion for the ocean. So the statement : Selling a Product no one knows exists, may seem like a foreign concept.
However, you are among the minority albeit the lucky minority and very few people have had the privileges that we grew up taking for granted. That awesome feeling of your first wave, that undeniable stoke of your first barrel, that need to travel to as many different places to conquer as many of the waves you grew reading about or watching you idols surf. You are in the lucky minority.
There are very few people who ever get to feel that enjoyment in a lifetime and we should all be thankful for the privilege. Part of why I started Slyde if not the reason I started it was simple: If I loved to body surf and handboard then hell, other people would too. Simple enough, it wasn't about solving a world peace or eradicating hunger in Africa. although that would be a noble cause. It was as simple as putting a smile on another kids face after the got the ride of their life. We simply want to spread the stoke and give someone the chance to experience what we grew up experiencing.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to talk with Felix over at Shopify Masters about what its like to start a company with a product that not that many people are aware about.